Testing machine



March 30, 1943. c, HOLLOWAY, 2,315,287,

TES TING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30, 1940 I PMC/l/fi at 51/155 1 5 Y P; wvasz 4.6 J J2 Z5 .wz aza 51 INVENTORS ac. x/auwmr, mew

( 3r m/yzraflozzamyg 156. 43 A/vp F. 7" M/YY BY mum A'i'TORNEY Patented Mar. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TESTING MACHINE l of Pennsylvania Claims.

Our invention relates to a testing machine for filament lamps, especially lamps for flashlights.

An object of the invention is to provide a device for automatically ejecting lamps whose filaments are not properly placed within the lamp bulb.

Fig. 1 is a view partly in perspective and partly diagrammatical of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are views on lines IIII and III--III, respectively, of Fig. l.

The invention is especially to automatically test flashlight lamps which have been previously assembled. Heretofore, considerable time has been taken in seeing that the filament of the flashlight lamp properly lights and has the filament located in the center portion of the bulb.

The invention eliminates the necessity for this inspection of these flashlight lamps.

The flashlight lamps are placed in a hopper H), which feeds them base down, into an opening II in the top of a dial 12. In Figure 1 the hopper is disclosed on the right hand side of the drawing, but one of the openings II is illustrated in a broken-away portion on the left hand side of he drawing. The dial is revolved or indexed y any suitable means, not shown.

Adjacent the hopper is a plunger l4, which presses down on the top of the lamp to snap it in place under the compression of a spring Hi. The bottom tip I 8 presses down on a plunger l9, compressing a slight spring 20 between the bottom of the opening II and a flange 2| just under the tip of the plunger [9. A spring 22 also bears against the upper part of the dial and a flange 23 on the lower end of the plunger.

The bulb passes around to the position disclosed in the broken-away portion on the left hand side. In this position, a spring contact 24 bears against the flange 23, and another contact spring 25 bears against the dial to make an electric contact from the dial through the screw threaded base I1 of the flashlight lamp through one side of the filament 26, down through the tip l8 of the lamp to the plunger which is insulated from the dial by insulation 21, and then through the contact spring 24.

A contact switch 28 is connected to an electrical circuit 29 by a revolving cam 30. This switch closes momentarily after indexing is accomplished. The filament at this point is lighted. Directly above the filament I place a photosensitive arrangement in a casing 3i. The filament light shines on the lens 32 at the opening of this casing and the light rays are focused towards a photosensitive tube or cell 33.

Application November 30, 1940, Serial No. 367,908

I prefer .to utilize a phototube, as illustrated, although copper oxide, selenium or other types of photocells may be used. The light rays converge towards the phototube 33, fall on a ground glass 34, and normally would be concentrated by lens 35 to impinge upon the cathode 36 of the phototube to initiate a discharge between this cathode 36 and the anode 31 to complete the circult of the electrical wires 38 and 39 connected to a suitable source of an electric energy 40.

The central portion of the ground glass 34, as illustrated in Figure 3, has an opaque portion 4| that would prevent the transmittal of light through the glass from the proper positions of the filament 26, as focused upon this ground glass. If, however, the filament were improperly tipped to one side, a portion thereof would be focused in the transparent or translucent portion 42 of the ground glass, and the illumination of this portion would be suflicient to actuate the phototube 33.

A photosensitive arrangement 43, similar to 3 I, is arranged at the side of the flashlight lamp, preferably at an angle of so as to take the lateral image of the filament. This photosensitive element 43 has a lens 44, ground glass 45, a focusing lens 46, and a phototube 41, with its cathode 4B and anode 49 similar to the previously described arrangement 3|.

The cathodes 36 and 44, and also the anodes 3'! and 49, are connected in parallel to an amplifier 50, which is, in turn, connected to the electrical source 40, previously mentioned. This electrical source 40 may, of course, also light the filament through the suitable transformer 29, previously described.

The ground glass 45 receives the lateral image of the filament 26, as illustrated in Figure 2. The central portion of this ground glass 45, upon which the proper vertical positions of the filament would impinge, is made opaque, as at 5!, to prevent properly arranged filaments from actuating the phototube 41. ment 26 is placed too high or too low in the flashlight lamp, the filament will illuminate the translucent or transparent portion 52 or 53 of the ground glass, illustrated in Figure 2 and actuate the phototube.

The amplifier 50 has its output 54 preferably connected to an electromagnetic coil 55, located under a plunger 56, connected to one end of a lever arm 51, which has its free end 58 located under the plunger l9, bearing against the underside of the flashlight lamp.

In case the filament is improperly aligned, one- If, however, the filaor both phototubes will be actuated and the electrical energy of the circuit will be amplified and pass through the coil-55 to pull the plunger 56 downward with the result that the arm 51 will be pulled into the position shown in the dotted lines, and the end of the lever 58 will press upward on the plungerv I S to push the flashlight lamp out of the opening II. This action of the lever arm can also turn on air through a nozzle 60 to blow the flashlight lamp into a trough 6| for rejected lamps. If, however, the filament is properly located, the dial will revolve or index with the flashlight lamp to a position adjacent the trough 82 for acceptable flashlight lamps.

As the flashlight lamp approaches this trough 62, an incline 63 is located under the dial to gradually push up the plunger l9, as, illustrated in this portion of the figure to push the flashlight lamp up from the spring I I and, at the same time, acurrent of air is directed through the nozzle 64 to blow the flashlight lamp into the trough B2.

The invention provides a means for automatically testing and automatically rejecting any improperly aligned filament in lamps, especially of the tiny flashlight lamp class.

It is apparent that many modifications may be made in the form and arrangement of the various elements and in the particular type of actuating means. Accordingly, only such limitations' are intended upon the invention as are necessitated by the spirit and scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In combination, a dial having one or more openings therein, a plunger in said opening, means inserting a filament lamp in said opening on top of said plunger, photosensitive means adjacent said dial, means projecting the light of said filament towards said photosensitive means, mean intercepting the projected light from suitable positions only of said filament and means connected to said photosensitive means to actuate said plunger and eject said lamp when the photosensitive means is illumined from unsuitable positions of said filament.

2. In combination, a dial having one or more openings therein, a plunger in said opening, means inserting a filament lamp in said opening on top of said plunger, photosensitive means adjacent said dial, means projecting the light of said filament towards said photosensitive means, means intercepting the projected light from suitable positions only of said filament and means connected to said photosensitive means to actuate said plunger and eject said lamp when the photosensitive means is illumined from unsuitable positions of sad filament, said photosensitive means including devices to receive both the longitudinal and lateral projection of light from said filament.

3. In combination, a dial having one or more openings therein, a' plunger in said opening, means inserting a filament lamp in said opening on top of said plunger, photosensitive means adjacent said dial, means projecting the light of said filament towards said photosensitive means, means intercepting the projected light from suitable positions only of said filament and means connected to said photosensitive means to actuate'said plunger and eject said lamp when the photosensitive means is illumined from unsuitable positions of said filament, said last mentioned means comprising a solenoid electrically I time at the said intersection of the focal axes of said photosensitive devices with the filament iof the so positioned lamp lighted and with the focal axis from one of the photosensitive devices substantially at right angles to the said planeibf,

normal filament position and with the focal'aiiis from the other photosensitive device lying in said plane, an ejecting plunger beneath the said lamp at said position at said intersection of said focal axes, electro-magnetic means electrically connected with said photosensitive devices for operating said plunger upon energization of either or both of said photosensitive devices, amplifying means between said photosensitive devices and said electro-magnetic means, opaque areas disposed directly in the focal path to each photosensitive device from correct filament position to $k direct rays from a correctly situated filament being focused on a photosensitive device and permitting direct rays from an incorrectly situated filament to be focused on a photosensitive device and through functioning thereof to thereby apply energy to said electric amplifying means and amplified energy to said electr'o-magnetic means to thereby actuate said plunger and eject the lamp having the incorrectly situated filament.

5. Apparatus for testing filament lamps com prising two photosensitive devices, an electrically actuated ejector device, electric amplifyi g means, parallel connections from both of SE, d photosensitive devices to said amplifying meais and output connections from said amplifyifg meansto the ejector device whereby said eject device operates upon energization of either 3: both of said photosensitive devices, means f r orienting and holding a lamp to be tested wit its filament lighted in front of both of said ph tosensitive devices with the paths of light direction from the lamp to said photosensitive devices substantially at right angles and with one path transverse to the plane of normal filament position and the other said path in said plane, and means interposed between each said photosensitive device and the said normal filament position .to shield each said photosensitive device from light of a correctly situated filament and to pass light to one or both of the photosensitive devices from-a filament incorrectly, situated with respect thereto and in such event to thereby apply energy to said electric amplifying means and amplified energy to said'ejector device, said ejector device being thereby actuated to e ect the lamp having the incorrectly situated filament.

I, JANET G. HOLLOWAY, Erecutrix of the Estate of Gilbert C. Holloway,

Deceased.

FREDERICK T. MAY. 

